The things they bring me

Two residents stopped in the office. One was holding two small, clear bowls, stacked, with four large tortilla chips in the top bowl.

The resident holding the bowls set them on my desk and proceeded to take out the chips, telling me about a business deal in southern Wisconsin that wasn’t working out. He explained how I needed to fix it or fire the guy. The chips were the product, which he wasn’t happy about.

As he headed for the door, I asked if he wanted to take the chips with him. No, he said. His companion looked at the chips hungrily but didn’t reach for them either.

So, they sat on my desk for a while.

A little later, the first resident returned and left me a pizza crust as well. He had snacked on his leftovers from lunch out with a family member or friend. I guess I was the depository for leftover food that day.

I cleaned up the leftovers and took the dishes to the kitchen. It’s just one of the things they bring.

People with dementia act in different ways. Some tend to walk a lot. Some ask the same questions over and over. Some forget where their rooms are and go into other residents’ rooms. Some forget that items belong to them.

We have several residents who tend to pick up items and move them around. We find odd things in odd places. Some of those misplaced items wind up in the office where we collect them until we figure out where they go. Staff members usually can identify someone in a photo to get it back to the right owner. We recall who collects knickknacks or who has outdoor decorations in their room. Eventually, items are returned. We know some things will move again, but that’s OK.

Some things go missing. Clothing, slippers, TV remotes. Glasses, dentures, hearing aids. Those are little more troublesome. Sometimes they turn up in the wash – literally. One day we found someone’s dentures in the box for newspapers. Those waited on my desk until someone could figure out their owner.

It’s always interesting what they bring. Arm-chair covers. Books and magazines. Lamp shades. Baskets. Flowers. Cups. Bowls.

And, apparently, tortilla chips, too.